Monthly Archives: May 2013

As I anticipate my first CSA delivery next week, my excitement is hard to contain! 🙂

Being raised in south Texas, I find winters here in New Hampshire to be a little bit long……as spring arrives (in my heart, it arrives on March 1 😉 ) I get so excited to get outside, dig in the dirt, plant my vegetable garden, plant some flowers and herbs, …. And get some ‘spring cleaning’ done.

This year, I’ll be doing something a little different.

Let me back up for a minute…..

See, last fall, after MONTHS and YEARS of trying to figure a couple of tummy issues with a few of my children, I went to see a Naturopath for the first time. What started out as a “let’s see how this goes” appointment, did NOT end that way.

After much conversation, after going over all of my notes and information that I had been tracking for years,…..my naturopath ran a few tests, one of them being a genetic test to see if I was predisposed to Celiac Disease. We wanted to see if perhaps I was ‘sharing’ some predispositions with my children and if some of my issues were from the same “root of the problem”.

Now, let’s keep in mind, it was my children who were having the tummy issues.

Long story short, we discovered that I have Celiac Disease. Despite the fact that my symptoms manifested in some ways that were not obvious symptoms, it sure did explain a lot for us as we tried to solve some mysteries for the children.

The naturopath said I should STOP and AVOID ALL gluten ASAP. The thought that immediately went through my head was, “Okay, HOLD ON,…..I came in here looking for answers for my children, NOT a life changing event that would make ME cut out foods that I love”. *do you see the oxymoron?

I had gone to school! I am a Holistic Health Counselor and Educator! I CAN’T HAVE CELIAC DISEASE!I would KNOW if I had Celiac!! And did I mention, I LOVE PIZZA!!!! I CANNOT HAVE CELIAC !

Hi, I’m Elena, I have Celiac Disease.

Since that day, I have been gluten-free, well, except for the days I cheated (yes, pizza) and boy did I pay for it! I don’t cheat any more, it is SO NOT worth it. (And for the record, there are some really great gluten-free pizzas and pizza crusts on the market! And it’s pretty darn easy to make too!)

Since that day, things have changed!

My body really does NOT like gluten. I get physically sick when I eat it; my face breaks out like a teenager; I’m moody (probably because I’m in total body pain)…..it’s not pretty.

BUT,…..

My body DOES love yummy, clean, WHOLE, Unprocessed, fresh food!!!

My fatigue is way better! My fibromyalgia is virtually gone! My psoriasis is getting much better! My migraines are GONE! My cycles are less painful and more ‘normal’! AND,…..My anemia is WAY, WAY, WAY BETTER!!! *THAT is a BIG DEAL!

I have always struggled with anemia! The “normal range” for iron levels in a woman is about 30-126,….last fall, I had hit my all time low of 9!! But last month, I had my yearly physical with my medical doctor, and I tested at 30!!!! I HAVE NEVER, EVER TESTED THAT HIGH!

See, for someone with Celiac Disease, gluten blocks iron absorption, nevermind that the intestinal tract is damaged from gluten. Clearly, that is what had been happening for me. So, despite me taking iron supplements for years, my body couldn’t absorb it.

Since 30 is still the low end of “normal”, we know my body still has some healing and repairing to do, but, I’m definitely headed in the right direction!

My plan, to do a Whole 30, in celebration of my “30”.

If you are unfamiliar with what that means, you can go to www.whole9life.com for a full description, but, my brief description is:

A Paleo-style “reset” for the body.

So WHY am I doing it?

There are MANY people out there who have changed over the way they eat to the Paleo way and found great results with some of the same symptoms (and more) that I mentioned earlier. Personally, I HATE (sorry, I know that’s not a nice word) PSORIASIS! I certainly don’t appreciate being over 40 and getting acne breakouts!

So, in an attempt to “reset” a few things in my body, I’m going for the Whole 30!

I’d love to have you join me!

There are many benefits to the Paleo lifestyle, try it out this way for just 30 days, you may find that you really prefer eating that way. Just google it and you’ll find MANY resources on the Paleo lifestyle.

You can find some of my favorite ‘Paleo Places’ under the Whole Living Resources tab.

If you’d like to join me, I will be offically starting my Whole 30 on June 3 and I’ll be blogging along the way, so stay tuned!

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Whether it’s the hours in one day, the days in one week, the weeks in one month, or the years that seem to have passed in a blink of an eye……time flies.

Since becoming a mother 21 years ago, I feel like my life is going faster and faster. I hear the words that many wise women told me, “before you know it, they’ll be grown and gone……you’ll wonder where the time went and you’ll probably wish you could have it back.”

Boy, were they right!

I know I still have quite away to go, I mean, “the baby” is 7, but still, I remember her birth like it was yesterday.

On a daily basis, I find myself in amazement at how wonderful, beautiful, smart, and funny all of my children are. I love them more than I ever thought possible! I am in awe of God!

Tomorrow I will have to say goodbye to my “little” girl, who’s now 18, as she leaves us again (she just got home from college 2 weeks ago) to head out on another adventure.

She will be headed out west to help plant a church. 🙂 *It’s one of those bittersweet moments where I say to her, “I am SO proud of you and I am going to miss you SO much!” And in my prayers, I say to God, “I am SO proud of her, I am going to miss her SOOOO much!!”

Loving and letting go is sometimes VERY difficult!

We train our children, day after day, to learn the skills that will help them as they grow up to be able to care for themselves, for their families, and for others; then one day, everything you taught them reveals itself when you see them in action. It’s a HARD, yet, BEAUTIFUL thing!

So what’s a mother to do?

“I prayed for this child. The Lord has given me what I asked him for. So now I’m giving him to the Lord. As long as he lives he’ll be given to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:27,28

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How wonderful to begin the month of May! The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and little green sprouts are popping up everywhere! I just love it! 🙂

I don’t know about you, but for me, the 1st of May gets me rejuvinated for spring cleaning, working in the garden, refocusing on some “mommy” things, ….. this season just brings me such refreshment.

The timing is just perfect for our Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle Sale!

You’ll find so many resources and topics, it’s a whole reference library neatly packaged into one bundle!

*YOU pay about 30 cents EACH!!

I have to admit, I already own a few of these books for my kitchen, they are true gems!!! *Don’t worry, I am purchasing the bundle and getting the rest of them! 😉

As far as my spring cleaning goes,…..the bonus in the following bundle is that, I won’t have to make space on the shelf for them! 🙂 They are all saved right onto my desktop and I can refer to them any time I want to! 🙂 *I love ebooks!!!

*again, YOU pay about 30 cents each!!!

Whether you are a new mom, an expectant mom, or a seasoned mom,….the new ideas and refreshment from these resources are AMAZING! 🙂 *Can you guess which is my favorite? 😉

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies…WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value.No shipping restrictions.)

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value.Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription.Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting fromwww.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value.Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

Get $10 off Union28′s original “my husband rocks” tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

*there are only 4 days left!!

If you have never purchased ebooks before, let me assure you, ….. YOU WILL LOVE THEM!! 🙂

Keepin’ it real,

Elena 😉

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.

For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.

All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.

All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.

Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available…. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

Particularly for those wanting to read these ebooks on their mobile devices (iPhones or iPads, Android, Kindle, etc.) you will want to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

**This post includes affiliate links, and I make a portion of the sale of each ebook bundle. Thanks for your support of this site!